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NMDA receptor activation in the aged rat hippocampus
- Source :
- Experimental Gerontology, Experimental Gerontology, Elsevier, 2000, 35 (9-10), pp.1185-1199. ⟨10.1016/s0531-5565(00)00122-4⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2000
-
Abstract
- Age-related alterations of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) activation were investigated in the CA1 field of hippocampal slices from young (3-6 months old) and aged (25-33 months old) Sprague-Dawley rats by using ex vivo extracellular electrophysiological recording techniques. NMDAr-mediated field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were induced by electrical stimulation of glutamatergic fibers in a magnesium (Mg(2+))-free medium supplemented with the non-NMDAr antagonist CNQX. The fEPSPs were significantly smaller in aged rats, whereas the response of presynaptic afferent fibers remained unaffected. No significant age-related differences were found in the ability of Mg(2+) to depress the magnitude of NMDAr-mediated fEPSPs. The responsiveness of postsynaptic NMDAr to the agonist was assessed in both groups of animals. No age-related differences were recorded either in the depolarizing effect of bath-applied NMDA or in the magnitude of the depolarization after altering extracellular Mg(2+) concentration. Finally, short-term potentiation (STP) of excitatory transmission was studied in young and aged rats considering the pivotal role of NMDAr in synaptic plasticity. No age-related alterations of the magnitude and the time course of STP in response to 10 or 30Hz conditioning stimulation were found. Because of the decrease in the magnitude of NMDAr-mediated synaptic transmission in aged animals, the absence of obvious modifications of synaptic plasticity suggests the occurrence of compensatory mechanisms that are discussed.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Aging
N-Methylaspartate
Time Factors
Biology
Neurotransmission
In Vitro Techniques
Biochemistry
Hippocampus
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
03 medical and health sciences
Glutamatergic
chemistry.chemical_compound
0302 clinical medicine
Endocrinology
Postsynaptic potential
Internal medicine
Genetics
medicine
Animals
Magnesium
Molecular Biology
ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
030304 developmental biology
6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione
0303 health sciences
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials
Long-term potentiation
Cell Biology
Rats
Electrophysiology
nervous system
chemistry
Anesthesia
Synaptic plasticity
Synapses
Excitatory postsynaptic potential
CNQX
NMDA receptor
[SDV.NEU]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 05315565
- Volume :
- 35
- Issue :
- 9-10
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Experimental gerontology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a0b7c7e0f7578ccd360cba3a855dbab2